Strategic Priority 1: Enhancing Ecosystem Functioning and Resilience
Mongolia has made significant progress in biodiversity conservation, establishing a network of protected areas that now covers 21% of the country's total land area. This includes some of the largest protected areas in the world, such as the Great Gobi Strictly Protected Area, which spans 5.3 million hectares.
While this network of protected areas is impressive, many are located primarily in border areas with varying focuses and objectives. To fully address conservation needs and ensure the long-term viability of threatened species, a coordinated, landscape-level approach is essential.
Additionally, it is important to systematically protect corridors outside of these areas to enhance species viability. This approach will strengthen the integrity of the steppe ecosystem and support biodiversity resilience against various threats, including climage change.
This strategic priority involves evidence-based identification of critical 'refuge areas', based on their potential to conserve vulnerable species and their resilience to climate change impacts. Refuge areas include protected areas, other effective area-based conservation measures (OECMs), and key water sources. Attention will be placed on their protection, restoration, and the mitigation of threats through close partnership with local stakeholders.
To achieve these goals, the we will take a three-pronged approach:
- Support the effectiveness and coordination of existing protected areas at the regional level.
- Identify and support the protection of critical refuge habitats outside of protected areas through partnerships with local land users, government stakeholders, and the private sector.
- Support coordinated work across the network of refuges to identify and reduce threats to flagship species associated with illegal hunting, disease, and habitat degradation.
The success of the refuge system also requires high-level engagement. Collaboration with the government at the policy level is crucial to reduce key threats to wildlife nationally, including supporting national commitments such as CITES.
Our Goals for 2030
- a network of critical refuge habitats is protected and restored.
- threats to flagship species associated with illegal offtake and trade, disease, and habitat degradation are reduced in refuge areas.